The Next Level
by disneyanimationfan
Summary: Dipper and Mabel returned to Gravity Falls for the fourth time in summer 2015. And this time, there is romance around the corner...between the ice bag and the pine tree. Romance.
Sunday, June 7, 2015. 8:05 AM. Gravity Falls, Oregon.

Dipper and Mabel Pines, 15 years old, had just completed their sophomore year of high school, and are now going on summer vacation. Like in the summers of 2013 and 2014, the twins had spent some time over at Gravity Falls. Unlike their first stay in 2012, they don't stay for the whole summer; at most they stay for about four weeks before returning to California. The reason for this reduction is because the twins' parents want to spend more time with them on holidays and travel to other places around the world.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have now arrived at Gravity Falls," the driver announced to the few people on the bus, among them Dipper and Mabel.

Outside the window at the bus stop, the twins could see their caretaker for their stay at Gravity Falls. They hopped out of the bus and greeted him enthusiastically.

"Soos!" the twins ran up to him and the three embraced in a hug.

"Hey dudes!" Soos exclaimed. "I really missed you two. Glad you can come back at least once every summer."

"Hey kids," Melody, Soos' girlfriend, can be seen behind the big man; except she isn't just Soos' girlfriend anymore.

As Soos put down the twins, Mabel noticed something on his hand.

"Soos, why do you have a…," Mabel gasped, and suddenly squealed with excitement.

"Well, glad you noticed, hambone," Soos said. "I and Melody are engaged! We plan on getting married in a few weeks. We want to make sure we have the wedding before you two dudes leave."

Melody walked up to her fiancé and put her arm around him. "Nice to have some company during our wedding. Also, I think we could also use a little helping hand in planning the ceremony."

Mabel again squealed with delight. "Not only am I the best matchmaker, but also the greatest bridesmaid! I most certainly will help plan you and Soos' wedding!"

A honk can be heard. The twins turned and saw Wendy Corduroy wearing a lumberjack suit and Dipper's pine tree hat in her pickup truck.

"What-up, dudes!" she called out from the rolled-down window. She got out as the twins ran towards her. The three engaged in hug.

"Whoa, you two have gotten so big!" Wendy exclaimed. "I remember the first time you two visited, you were like, half my height." The twins detached from their hug.

"So, uh, Wendy," Dipper tried saying, but also blushing a little. "How has community college been going?"

"Better than high school at least," Wendy replied. "At least I have more freedom and independence. And good thing I picked out a party school too. Well, I was told all community colleges are party schools. They were the only institutions that would accept me anyways."

"And how's the rest of the gang? Are they coming back for the summer?" Dipper asked.

"Yeah. Most of them anyways," Wendy replied. "Robbie isn't even in college, so he's here. Tambry, Lee, and Nate had also arrived some time ago. And Thompson is taking summer courses over at U of Oregon. Man, when did he become such a hardworking person?"

"Come on dudes, let's go!" Soos called out from his pickup truck. Dipper and Mabel ran over and boarded the backseat. Soos drove off towards the Mystery Shack, with Wendy behind them.

"Mabel!" Candy and Grenda yelled in unison as the twins got off Soos' pickup truck in front of the Mystery Shack. Mabel ran over to them and engaged in her third trio hug of the day.

"Candy! Grenda! I'm so happy to see you two again!" Mabel exclaimed.

Later that day, Soos, Melody, and the twins are sitting in the TV room, discussing how Soos and Melody's wedding should be like. Of course, Mabel is the one who is talking the most. After a while, Melody went home, and Dipper and Mabel went to their attic room.

However, Dipper is finding it hard to fall asleep, mainly because something – someone – is on his mind.

"Oh, no," Dipper groaned.

Monday, June 8, 2015. 9:50 AM.

The twins are spending their morning at the gift shop. Melody had gone to the bathroom, and Soos is giving a tour. For some reason, Wendy didn't show up; ever since Soos took his post as the new manager of the Mystery Shack, Wendy had been skipping work more often.

After Melody left, Dipper decided that he should talk to Mabel about what has been going through his mind since last night. Hopefully she would understand…at least she usually does when it comes to non-romantic situations.

"Hey Mabel," Dipper spoke up. "I need to tell you something."

"Sure thing," Mabel chirped. "Aren't you happy for Soos and Melody? I told you I was the best matchmaker ever!"

"Yes, yes, I'm happy for them. But that's not the point," Dipper said. He took a deep breath before continuing. "Mabel, I think…well…"

"Yeah?" Mabel continued, still in her oblivious good mood. "Come on; just spill it!"

Dipper let out a sigh. "I…I think I might be developing feelings for Wendy again."

Mabel's smile almost immediately disappeared from her face. "Aw, come on bro, I thought you've moved on from her a long time ago," she groaned. "And you treated her as no more than just a friend in our last two visits. What's gotten into you?"

"I know, I know," Dipper sighed. "It's just that…now we are older, and it seems like our age difference doesn't really matter anymore. Something is telling me to give a shot at her again."

"Come on, Dipper, just let it go," Mabel said. "And besides, even if you two do end up together, how can you manage a long distance relationship?"

"Well, how are Tambry and Robbie able to keep their relationship going even though they are miles apart?" Dipper asked.

"I sprayed them with love potion, don't you remember? And the fine print on the back said that the effect will wear out after a few hours if two are not meant to be. And given that Robbie and Tambry continued to make out long past the expiration date, it just proves that they are true soul mates. They will love each other regardless of their circumstances."

"And how are Grenda and Marius able to keep _theirs_ going? Marius lives over in Austria, on the other side of the world!" Dipper argued.

Mabel could not find a counterpoint against that. True, Marius and Grenda live far from each other, but have kept their relationship going smooth for the past two years.

"Huh, I guess you're right. And it's true that it doesn't seem like the age difference between you and Wendy really matter anymore. High school relationships usually don't last long, but if we know two couples that could manage it, well…," Mabel said. She suddenly brightened again. "Oh my gosh! Another instance of matchmaking has come my way!"

"What are you two talking about?" Melody suddenly reappeared behind the counter.

"Oh, uh, it's nothing!" Dipper insisted, suddenly going red.

Melody eyed Dipper teasingly. "Are you sure? You're not talking about having a crush or something?"

"Dipper has a crush on Wendy!" Mabel exclaimed as if this is the first time Dipper has had feelings for the redhead. "And now since they are older and the age difference doesn't matter anymore, I can get serious in actually getting the two together!"

"Oh, is that so?" Melody replied. She then chuckled. "Oh, that is so cute! You know, Dipper, maybe you should start hanging out with Wendy more. And by hanging out, I mean, go on dates? Am I right?"

Mabel laughed. "You are right, sister!" Mabel turned to Dipper and shook him. "Yeah, you should totally go out on a date with Wendy! I'm sure she wouldn't mind! I guess she will treat it as friends hanging out or whatever, but…it's still a date!"

2:30 PM.

Wendy, Candy, and Grenda are in front of the Mystery Shack gift shop playing a small game of soccer. After Wendy kicked the ball and set off a car's alarm, the three girls sat on the porch stairwell to rest.

Grenda received a text notification. She took out her phone.

"Who is it?" Wendy asked curiously.

"It's from Marius," Grenda said. "He's currently on a hike over at the Austrian Alps. Man, he looks so hot in his outdoor gear!"

Grenda showed Candy and Wendy the photo Marius sent her. It shows Marius in full hiking gear with snow-capped peaks in the background.

" _Why can't he be my boyfriend?_ " Candy mumbled in Korean.

"You know, I can never understand you whenever you go foreign," Wendy commented. "What do you usually say then?"

"Yeah, I'm curious too," Grenda added.

"Uh, nothing! Just…a habit. Nothing I say really means anything," Candy exclaimed. Then, under her breath, added in her native language, " _Only things you would not want to hear from me_."

The three continued to sit on the porch stairwell in silence, each looking through their own phones. The only sounds being made are the distant bird chirps and the occasional goat baaing.

"Hey girls, I think there is something I should tell you," Wendy said suddenly. Candy and Grenda inched closer to Wendy. They always like it when they share secrets among each other.

"You know, I've always considered this boy a friend, and no more, but recently…actually starting from a few months ago, I…," Wendy attempted to say.

"Who exactly are you talking about?" Grenda asked.

Wendy sighed. "I'm talking about Dipper. Now, before you start screaming, just keep in mind that I'm still a little at war with myself. He's older now, and our age difference wouldn't matter anymore…"

Candy and Grenda looked at Wendy with confusion.

"Okay, I can see you two are confused," Wendy said. "All right, here's the thing: I think I am actually starting to like Dipper. In a romantic way."

Before Wendy could say anything else, Candy and Grenda screamed with excitement. Inside the gift shop, Soos is sweeping the floor, and stopped when he heard the I-love-you-Sev'ral-Timez squeal.

"Melody, are there any boy bands coming to town today?" Soos asked.

Melody shrugged. "I never follow any of those kinds of things. I wouldn't know." Soos also shrugged his shoulders and went back to sweeping.

"Okay, okay, I can see you two are excited," Wendy said, trying to calm the two down. "Just…just don't tell anyone. I still have to manage my feelings here."

"We promise," Grenda said, crossing her fingers behind her back.

"Your secret is safe with us," Candy replied, and then to the side, whispered in Korean, " _Mabel has got to know about this_."

That evening, Mabel and Candy are over at Grenda's house for a sleepover. Candy and Grenda told Mabel everything, on how Wendy believes she now has feelings for Dipper.

Mabel squealed. "O. M. G. The two are literally the perfect pair! You know, Dipper is also starting to resume his feelings towards Wendy as well."

"You know what we need to do next," Candy said. Mabel and Grenda nodded.

Outside the house, Lazy Susan is taking a walk with one of her cats. Suddenly a shrill scream can be heard.

"That is like the most normal thing I've ever heard today!" she exclaimed absent-mindedly. Her cat started clutching her leg. "Now, calm down Mr. Cat-face. Mr. Cat-face…."

The next morning, the three girls started planning out what they should do next: to get Wendy and Dipper together. Candy and Grenda are in charge of convincing Wendy to go to dinner with Dipper, and Mabel is in charge of persuading her brother.

"Okay, girls, you all know the plan. We all go to dinner tonight, so it won't look suspicious," Mabel reminded after the planning had wrapped. "But we have to make sure Wendy and Dipper sit together, and have some time alone afterwards."

2:40 PM.

Dipper is in the Mystery Shack TV room watching the latest episode of _Ghost Harassers_ on the UTBAH Channel.

"Hang on! I think I caught something…!" one of the hosts on the screen said.

Dipper tensed up, expecting the climax of the episode. Suddenly Mabel burst in, jumped onto the couch, and stuck her face right in front of Dipper's.

"Whoa, Mabel, what's gotten into you?" Dipper exclaimed stunned.

"Hey brother! How would you like to go out to dinner tonight with me, Candy, Grenda, and…," Mabel snickered a little. "Wendy?"

Dipper tried to comprehend what his sister just said. "What…Wendy is going to be there?"

Mabel nodded. "And me and Candy and Grenda! It's just going to be a…you know…like friends hanging out sort of thing."

Dipper thought through it, and made his decision. "Sure. I would like to have dinner with Wendy – I mean – _with you ladies_. As _friends_."

"Sure! See you over at the Lookout Restaurant near Lookout Point!" Mabel chirped, then hopped off the couch and ran out the room. Once alone, she got out her phone and called Candy.

"Hey, how's the deal with Wendy going?" Mabel asked once Candy picked it up.

"Mission success. She fell for it," Candy said, snickering slightly. "And I take it that Dipper's coming as well?"

"Yes, Candy," Mabel said. "Oh boy, this is going to be so cute!"

That evening, the three girls arrived at the restaurant before Dipper and Wendy arrived.

"We would like two tables, please," Mabel said to the waiter who greeted them. "A table for a couple and a table for three."

The waiter raised his eyebrow at this strange request, but simply shrugged his shoulders and led the girls over to two tables, one of which has only two seats. Candy, Grenda, and Mabel sat down at the four-seated table, and waited for Dipper and Wendy to arrive.

It didn't take long for the unsuspecting couple to arrive. Dipper and Wendy ran into each other just before entering the restaurant.

"Oh, hey Wendy," Dipper said, blushing a little. "So, you ready for a fun night with me…and the girls?"

"Yeah, I'm ready," Wendy said, also blushing.

The two entered the luxurious mountain-top restaurant. Mabel saw the two and called out to them, much to the annoyance of the other diners.

"Wendy! Dipper! Over here!" Mabel exclaimed waving her hands wildly. Dipper and Wendy walked over to where the three girls sat.

"Oh, that table is for you two," Grenda said, pointing at the couple's table next to them. She, Candy, and Mabel struggled not to laugh.

Dipper and Wendy sat down across from each other, and both ordered their dinner without exchanging much talk. It wasn't until after the waiter left that they really started conversation.

"So, uh, how's everything been going lately?" Dipper asked. "Has anything changed since the last time me and Mabel visited?"

"No, not really," Wendy replied, trying to act casual. "Well, at least the town still looked the same when I came back from my community college over in Portland. Man, I finally got to live there!"

"So…met any new friends? Anyone?" Dipper said, sweating a little. He took a deep breath, and then continued. "Well…what I mean is that…have you started, well, dating again?"

"Nah, not really. Almost every single boy that has asked me out since the start of the school year was a total jerk," Wendy sighed, then smiled a little, but also blushed too. "You know, after thinking through my poor experiences with them, I just realized that you are like the best guy I've ever met."

Dipper also blushed, in response to Wendy's comment. "Oh, why, uh, thank you. And to me you are like, well…"

"Two steaks with mashed potatoes and a side of random vegetables, is that right?" a waiter holding two platters suddenly appeared next to Wendy and Dipper.

"Yes, that's our order," Dipper replied. The waiter set each plate in front of Dipper and Wendy and left without saying anything else. For the rest of the meal, Dipper and Wendy didn't speak much, much to the disappointment of the three girls spying on them.

After dinner is over, the girls started acting out phase two of their plan: to get Wendy and Dipper alone in a romantic area.

"Hey, let's go to Lookout Point!" Mabel exclaimed as the group left the restaurant. "It's less than a five-minute walk from here. Plus, the moon is out, and the night sky is just beautiful!"

"Uh, I thought we were simply having dinner…," Dipper spoke up.

"Come on brother! You haven't seen a night panorama of Gravity Falls in a while!"

Dipper couldn't argue with that. He and Wendy, who for some reason didn't say anything, went with the girls over to the nearby Lookout Point.

Once the lights of the town below became visible, Candy, Grenda, and Mabel started initiating their true actions.

"Oh no! I just remembered that I left my umbrella back at the restaurant! I'll be right back!" Candy exclaimed.

"But I never saw an umbrella by you at…," Dipper tried to say, but Candy had already taken off.

"I drank too much soda, and now I have to go to the bathroom! I'll go back to restaurant. I'll also be back!" And with that, Grenda took off as well.

"Well, I guess I'd better follow those two to make sure they don't get into trouble or anything," Mabel said, trying to sound innocent. "You two can stay here and enjoy the scenery. I'm going to watch over the others." Mabel also dashed out of sight.

Wendy and Dipper slowly walked over to the rim of the area. They both leaned onto the edge handrail, somewhat in unison. They remained quiet for some time, absorbing the lovely nighttime scenery before them. However, at the same time, they also feel slightly uncomfortable to have the person of their romantic interest right next to them in a somewhat-awkward silence.

"Quite a beautiful view, isn't it?" Dipper suddenly said. Wendy turned towards Dipper.

"Yeah. I've lived in this town for pretty much my entire life, and I never remembered it being so pretty at night."

"Mm-hm."

Dipper and Wendy remained silent for yet another few moments. Dipper debated heavily in his mind whether to reveal his new feelings to Wendy. Right now seems like the perfect – and perhaps only – moment where he can be honest with her. But at the same time, he is also very hesitant to do so. Little does he know that Wendy is feeling the exact same.

Dipper took a deep breath. He has made his decision. He gathered up his courage and broke the silence between him and Wendy.

"Hey, Wendy, I want to tell you something," Dipper started.

"Sure. You can tell me anything," Wendy replied.

Dipper took another deep breath. "I know we've been treating each other as friends for the past two years and so, but recently…well…how do I put this…?" Dipper paused, and then averted his eyes from Wendy's.

Dipper let out a sigh. "I…I love you Wendy. I know I was supposed to have moved on already, but…"

Wendy took Dipper's hand. The sudden gestured surprised Dipper, in addition to making him blush.

"I love you too, Dipper," Wendy whispered, and then smiled. "About a few months back, I also started developing romantic feelings for you as well. I was conflicted with my emotions up to this point – I mean, we just treated each other as friends for the past three years – but now, I think I know what they really mean."

Dipper smiled back at Wendy. Despite Dipper having grown a lot in the past two years, Wendy is still taller than him by a few inches. Dipper looked up into Wendy's eyes, and the two continued smiling at each other. Soon, the two started leaning towards each other. And before they knew it, the two are kissing each other. Dipper wrapped his arms around Wendy as they let themselves fall into the romance zone, but also as a mean to keep his lips on Wendy's as he is still shorter than her.

Behind a nearby bush, Mabel, Candy, and Grenda are trying to contain their happiness. But seeing the two finally sharing their first romantic moment, they couldn't hold it any further, and burst out into screams of joy.

Dipper and Wendy ignored the screams. They knew who it is, and deep down both had suspected that they were set up anyways.

"Will you be my date to Soos and Melody's wedding?" Dipper asked.

"Of course, Mason Pines," Wendy replied. Wendy and Dipper joined hands and started walking down the path away from Lookout Point, and the three spying girls leaped out from behind the bush and chased after them. Mabel slammed into Dipper as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm so proud of you Dipper!" Mabel exclaimed. "You've finally got yourself a girlfriend!" Dipper and Wendy laughed.

"I knew you did this. I was just trying to act dumb." Dipper said as Mabel released him.

"So did me," Wendy said. "You think I wouldn't know how girls actually act in the face of potential romance?" Dipper and Wendy again laughed, and soon Mabel joined them as well.

Dipper and Wendy put their arms around each other's shoulders as they continued walking downhill with the three girls behind them.

 ** _Gravity Falls was created by Alex Hirsch and produced by Disney Television Animation. All characters and related media belong to Disney._**


End file.
